Implement-rack.



PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907. W. H. SMITH. IMPLEMENT RAGK.

APPLIOATION Hum 1330.81, 1906.

\r MI I? [/VVENTOR A HOME VS WITNESSES.- v

,l/ v I j/ WILBER H. SMITH, OF BAR HARBOR, MAINE.

IMPLEMENT-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907'.

Application fil d December 31,1906. Serial No.350,160-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILBER H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bar Harbor, in the county of Hancock and State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Implement-Rack, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tool-holders or racks and has for its object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive device of this character capable of being readily attached to a wall or other support and by means of which different kinds of implements such as forks, shovels, hoes, rakes and the like may be sus pended from the wall and supported in convenient position for removal.

A. further object is to provide a rack or holder ineluding a spring coil the convolutions of which are adapted to engage and clamp the shovel or other implement to be supported, said convolutions being adjustable laterally thereby to vary the tension of the spring and thus regulate the clamping action exerted on the implement.

A fiu'ther object is to form some of the convolutions of the spring with intermediate eyes or loops the ends of which are deflected laterally to assist in guiding the tool or implement between the clamping members.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and eificiency as well as to reduce the cost of manufacture. I

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangementof parts hereinafter fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minor details of construction may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure l is a front elevation of a rack constructed in accordance with my invention showing the same in position on a wall and supporting a shovel. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional View of the same taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation illustrating a modified form of the invention. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a further modification. k

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The improved device consists of a back plate 5 adapted to be secured to a wall or other suitable support, by screws or similar fastening devices 6 and provided with laterally extending supporting arms or brackets 7.

The rack or holder proper is preferably formed of a singlepiece of wire the'opposite ends of which are threaded and the intermediate portion thereof bent to form a plurality of spaced coils or convolutions 8, the wire connecting each set of convolutions being bent to form a loop 9 adapted to receive the shovel or other implement to be supported, indicated at 10. The closed end of each connecting loop 9 is bent laterally to form a flat bearing surface 10 for engagement with the plate 5, the intermediate loop being rigidly secured to the plate 5 in any suitable manner, as by staples 11 while the outside or terminal loops. are secured to the back plate 5 by a single staple or fastening device 12 so that the terminal loops are free to slide laterally on the back plate for the purpose hereinafter explained. The convolutions 8 constitute spring clamping members adapted to bear against the shovel or other implement to be supported so that the same may be suspended from the wall when not in use and thus occupy very little space.

Attention is called to the fact that the closed end of the intermediate loop 9 is bent upwardly while the closed ends of the terminal loops are bent downwardly and disposed in staggered relation with respect to the intermediate loop thus effectually supporting the convolutions and preventing the rack from sagging when subjected to heavy weight. The adjacent convolutions forming the spring clamping members are bent to form laterally extending eyes 12 disposed one on each side of the adjacent loop 9 and having their free ends deflected laterally, as indicated at 13, thereby to assist in guiding the shovel or other implement between the clamping members.

The ends of the wire forming the terminal convolutionsS are bent at right angles to the transverse axis of the spring to form longitudinally disposed arms 14 the ends of which are threaded and passed through suitable openings 15 in the supporting arms or brackets 7 for engagement with wing nuts 15 so that by adjusting said nuts the convolutions 8 may be extended or contracted thereby to regulate the tension of the clamping members on the articles to be supported. By having the intermediate loop 9 rigidly secured to the back plate 5 and the outer loops slidably mounted on the back plate the clamping members on either side of the intermediate loop may be adjusted independently of each other by manipulating the nuts 15, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings there is illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the rack or holder 5 is formed of a plurality of spaced loops 16 and 17 disposed in staggered relation, the wire forming the loops 16 being twisted or bent to form Vertically disposed coils 18 disposed one on each side of the open ends of the loops 16 while the closed ends of the loops 17 are bent to form horizontally disposed coils 19 which bear against a supporting bar 20 secured in any suitable manner to the back plate 5. In this form of the device the intermediate loop of the upper series 1G is rigidly secured to the back plate 5 While the loops 17 constituting the lower series are free to slide on the bar 20 so that by adjusting the nuts 15 on the threaded arm 14 the loop may be extended or contracted in the manner before stated. I

In Fig. 5 of the drawings there is illustrated a further modification in which the rack is formed of a single piece of spring wire bent to produce a plurality of convolutions 21 gradually decreasing in size from one end of the spring to the other so as to adapt the device for supporting tools or implements of different sizes.

The rack or holder shown in Fig. 5 may be interposed between} pair of supporting arms or brackets similar in construction to the brackets 7 and for the purpose of preventing sagging of the rack, the convolutions 21 oi the spring coil are each provided with a lateral off-set or connecting arm 22 designed for attachment to the back plate of the brackets in the manner beiore stated.

While it is preferred to twist or coil the wire in the manner described to produce the clamping members, it is obvious that the clamping members may be formed by bending the wire in a different manner, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that there is provided an extremely simple, inexpensive and efficient device admirably adapted for the attainment of the ends in view.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

spring thereby to regulate the tension oi the spring clamping members.

2. A rack including a support provided with laterally extending supporting brackets, a coiled spring interposed between said brackets and having its convolutions spaced apart by connecting loops, one of which is rigidly secured to the support and the adjacent loops slidably mounted thereon, and means for adjusting the tension of the spring:

3. A rack including a support provided with spaced arms, a coiled springinterposed between the arms and having its convolutions spaced apart by intermediate loops to form springclamping members, there being eyes disposed on opposite sides of each loop, and means for adjusting the spring, thereby to regulate the tension of the clamping members. I

*1. A rack including a support provided with laterally extending brackets, a spring interposed between the brack ets and having its convolutions spaced apart to form spring clamping members, the convolution of each clamp ing member being formed with peripheral eyes the ends of which are deflected laterally, and means for adjusting the spring thereby to regulate the tension of the clamping members.

A rack including a support provided with laterally extending brackets, a coiled spring interposed between the brackets and provided with intermediate convolutions constituting clamping members and its opposite ends threaded and extended through the brackets, the center of the spring being rigidly secured to the support, and nuts engaging the threaded ends of the spring for regulating the tension of the clamping members on each side of the [ixed portion of the spring.

6. A rack including a support provided with later-ally extending brackets, a coiled spring interposed between the brackets and having its opposite ends threaded and extended through said brackets, and its intermediate convolution connected by loops to form spring clamping members, said loops being extended in opposite directions and having their coiled ends bent laterally to form bearing surfaces for engagement with the support, the intermediate loop being rigidly secured to the support and the terminal loops slidably mounted thereon, there being guiding eyes formed in the convolutions of the spring and disposed one on each side of the loops, and nuts en- 

